Cigarette lighter retainer



May 16, 1967 G. E. GOSLIN CIGARETTE LIGHTER RETAINER Filed Nov. 15, 1965 INVENTOR. I 5670/0 6', 905/222 ATTOR/Vfy United States Patent Ofiflce 3,319,989 Patented May 16, 1967 3,319,909 CIGARETTE LIGHTER RETAINER Gerald E. Goslin, Mount Clemens, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 324,093 Claims. (Cl. 248-27) This invention relates to fasteners and, more particularly, it relates to a fastener for securing a cigarette lighter housing to the instrument panel in an automobile.

Currently, cigarette lighter housings are fastened to the instrument panel by threading engagement with a tubular, cap-type retainer. It should suffice to say that this involves several members which thread together from opposite sides of the instrument panel to secure the cigarette lighter within the instrument panel.

The subject fastener is a one-piece sheet metal-type fastener, which, although relatively simple in construction, secures the cigarette lighter housing to the instrumeut panel without the use of multiple members and a threaded engagement.

It is therefore an object of the subject invention to provide a relatively simple one-piece device for fastening the cigarette lighter housing to the instrument panel in an automobile.

It is a further object to provide a fastener of the type described which makes the installation process much simpler than with previously used such devices.

Other objects, features and advantages of the subject invention should become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and the drawings depicting the preferred embodiment thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing the complete cigarette lighter installation being held to the instrument panel by the subject fastener;

FIGURE 2 is another view of the subject lighter installation, taken in the direction of the arrows 22 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the subject fastener device apart from its use in the cigarette lighter installation.

It should be made clear at this point that, although the subject fastener device is shown as embodying a cigarette lighter installation, it would be applicable for the retention of any tubular member to a panel member. In other words, its use is not restricted to cigarette lighter housings as shown in the preferred embodiment.

As seen in FIGURE 1, the subject fastener device secures a cigarette lighter housing 12 to a portion of the instrument panel 14. The cigarette lighter housing 1-2 is seen to have been inserted through an aperture 16 in the instrument panel 14 such that its entire portion passes through the instrument panel 14 except for a flange portion 18 which abuts the surface of the instrument panel 14 around the aperture 16. As seen in FIGURE 1, the lighter 20 is seen to have a knob portion 22 to facilitate the grasping and holding of the lighter. The remaining details of the lighter itself will not be given as they are not pertinent to the use of the subject invention, namely, the fastener 10. Suflice it to say, however, that the lighter 20 resides within the lighter housing 12 and makes contact with an electrical source which is attached to the lighter housing 12 by means of a receiving bracket 2-4.

The lighter housing 12 is seen to have two diametrically opposite raised portions or protuberances 26 which, as will be described later, serve as the retention means to secure the fastener 10 between the lighter housing '12 and the instrument panel 14.

As seen in FIGURE 3, the fastener 10 has a collar 28 with two cut-out portions 30 on its inside circumference. The collar 28 further has camming surfaces 32 which slope into protuberance retention portions 34. Two stabalizing legs 36 extend away from the inside circumference of the collar 28 and are used to prevent unnecessary motion of the fastener 10 with respect to the housing 12. A pair of spring support legs 38 extend downward from the outside circumference of collar 28 and, as seen in FIGURE 1, are used to spring bias the fastener against the surface of the instrument panel 14.

The assembly of the cigarette lighter installation is as follows. The cigarette lighter housing 12 is inserted through the aperture 16 in the instrument panel 14 such that the entire portion of the housing extends behind the instrument panel 14 except for the flange 18 which contacts the surface of the instrument panel 14 around the aperture 16. The fastener 10 then is passed over the cylindrical housing 12 such that its collar 28 completely encircles the housing 12. The collar 28 is oriented such that the protuberances 26 on the housing 12 pass through the cut-out portions 30 as fastener 10 is slid along the housing 12. Once the protuberances 26 have passed through the cut-out portions 30 of the collar 28, the fastener 10 is rotated in the clockwise direction such that the protuberances 26 slide down the camming surfaces 32 and come to rest in the protuberance retention portions 34. During this procedure, the spring legs 38 are forced into contact with the back side of the instrument panel 14 and take the position shown at 40. The final step of installation is to press the legs 38 from the position shown at 40 in FIGURE 1 to that designated as 39. In the position shown at 39 the jamming or wedging action is more secure than if the legs were left in position 40. Besides providing a biasing or spring action to secure the housing 12 to the instrument panel 14, the legs 38, when pressed to the position shown at 39, also scratch or bite into the surface of the metal of the instrument panel 14 thereby providing an ellicient electrical grounding of the assembly. Now that the housing 12 is secured to the instrument panel 14, the cigarette lighter 20 may be inserted into the housing 12 from the front side of the instrument panel 14.

Thus it should be clear that the subject fastener 10, as shown in FIGURE 3, provides a very effective and yet simple and economical device for fastening a tubular body to a panel member as the fastener 10 is constructed in one piece from sheet metal. Hence, the subject fastener is felt to be a substantial improvement over the previous multi-piece, threaded engagement type fastener used for applications of this nature.

It should be clear to those skilled in the art to which the subject invention pertains that the subject invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment shown and that many changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A fastener for use with:

a panel having an aperture thcrethrough;

and a generally cylindrical housing inserted through said aperture in said panel and having a flange portion adapted to engage one face of said panel around said aperture, said housing having a pair of opposed protuberances on its outer side;

said fastener comprising:

a collar having cut-out portions to allow said collar to pass over said pair of protuberances on said cylindrical housing, and cammed locking depressings to receive said protuberances upon rotation of said fastener with respect to said cylindrical housing after said collar has passed over said protuberances;

stabilizing legs extending from the inner circumference of said collar to lie adjacent to said cylindrical housing;

and deformable spring support legs extending from the outer circumference of said collar into contact with said panel at said aperture, said legs being of sufficient length to spring bias said fastener between the protuberances of said cylindrical housing and said panel to thereby secure said cylindrical housing to said panel.

2. A fastener for use with:

a panel having an aperture therethrough;

and a generally cylindrical housing inserted through said aperture in said panel and having a flange portion adapted to engage one face of said panel around said aperture, said housing having a pair of opposed protuberances on its outer side;

said fastener comprising:

a collar having two cut-out portions to allow said collar to pass over said pair of protuberances on said cylindrical housing, and two cammed locking depressions to receive said protuberances upon rotation of said fastener with respect to said cylindrical housing after said collar has passed over said protuberances;

two stabilizing legs extending from the inner circumference of said collar to lie adjacent to said cylindrical housing and to prevent unnecsary movement of said collar with respect to the cylindrical housing;

and two deformable spring support legs extending from the outer circumference of said collar into contact with said panel at said aperture, said legs being of suflicient length to spring bias said fastener between the protuberances of said cylindrical housing and said panel to thereby secure said cylindrical housing to said panel.

3. An installation comprising:

a panel having an aperture therethrough;

a housing inserted through said aperture in said panel and having a flange portion abutting the surface of said panel around said aperture, said housing having protuberances on its outer surface;

and a fastener to secure said housing to said panel,

said fastener including a collar having cut-out portions on its inner circumference to allow said collar to pass over said protuberances on said housing, cammed locking depressions to receive said protuberances upon rotation of said fastener with respect to said housing after said collar has passed over said protuberances, and support legs extending from the outer circumference of said collar toward the housing into spring biasing contact with said panel, said legs being substantially longer than the distance between said protuberances and said panel and being compressively loaded lengthwise of the legs thereby forming deformable struts to spring bias said housing to said panel.

4. An installation comprising:

a panel having an aperture therethrough;

a housing inserted through said aperture in said panel and having a flange portion abutting the surface of said panel around said aperture, said housing having protuberances on its outer surface;

and a fastener to secure said housing to said panel,

said fastener including a collar having cut-out portions on its inner circumference to allow said collar to pass over said protuberances on said housing,

5 cammed locking depressions to receive said protuberances upon rotation of said fastener with respect to said housing after said collar has passed over said protuberances, stabilizing legs extending from the inner circumference of said collar to lie adjacent to said housing, and support legs extending from the outer circumference of said collar generally perpendicular to the panel into contact with said panel at said aperture, said legs being substantially longer than the distance between said protuberances and said panel and being compressively loaded lengthwise of the legs thereby forming deformable str-uts to spring bias said fastener between said protuberances of said tubular housing and said panel to thereby hold said tubular housing to said panel.

5. An installation comprising:

a panel member having an aperture therethrough;

a cylindrical housing inserted through said aperture in said panel and having a flange portion abutting the surface of said panel around said aperture, said housing having a pair of opposed protuberances on its outer surface;

and a fastener to secure said housing to said panel, said fastener including a collar having two cut-out portions on its inner circumference to allow said collar to pass over said protuberances on said housing, two cammed locking depressions to receive said protuberance upon rotation of said fastener with respect to said housing after said collar has passed over said protuberances, two stabilizing legs extending from the inner circumference of said collar to lie adjacent to said housing and prevent unnecessary movement of said collar with respect to said housing, and two support legs extending from the outer circumference of said collar generally perpendicular to the panel into contact with said panel at said aperture, said legs being substantially longer than the distance between said protuberances andsaid panel and being compressively loaded lengthwise of the legs thereby forming deformable struts to spring bias said fastener between the protuberances of said tubular housing and said panel to thereby hold said tubular housing to said panel member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1939 Cohen 219-22 7/1949 Douglas 248-27 X 8/ 1960 Vahlstrom 248-27 X FOREIGN PATENTS 12/1946 GreatBritain. 

1. A FASTENER FOR USE WITH: A PANEL HAVING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH; AND A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HOUSING INSERTED THROUGH SAID APERTURE IN SAID PANEL AND HAVING A FLANGE PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE ONE FACE OF SAID PANEL AROUND SAID APERTURE, SAID HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSED PROTUBERANCES ON ITS OUTER SIDE; SAID FASTENER COMPRISING: A COLLAR HAVING CUT-OUT PORTIONS TO ALLOW SAID COLLAR TO PASS OVER SAID PAIR OF PROTUBERANCES ON SAID CYLINDRICAL HOUSING, AND CAMMED LOCKING DEPRESSINGS TO RECEIVE SAID PROTUBERANCES UPON ROTATION OF SAID FASTENER WITH RESPECT TO SAID CYLINDRICAL HOUSING AFTER SAID COLLAR HAS PASSED OVER SAID PROTUBERANCES; STABLIZING LEGS EXTENDING FROM THE INNER CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID COLLAR TO LIE ADJACENT TO SAID CYLINDRICAL HOUSING; 